The Childhood Asthma Management Program is a National Heart Lung and Blood Institute sponsored multicenter trial to evaluate the effect of two inflammatory medications, budesonide and nedocromil, to each other and to as needed albuterol. Primary measures of effect include two indicators of pulmonary function, FEV1 and airways hyperresponsivesness. In addition, secondary measures include effect on growth and development and health care utilization. Each patient will be followed over an approximately 5 year treatment period. The first phase of this study will reach completion in 1999 and will be followed by a four-month wash-out study. An application has been submitted to NHLBI to conduct an additional five year follow-up study to evaluate long-term outcomes of the various therapeutic interventions.